“We encourage City Council to continue their responsibilities in running the city and the administration will continue its diligent efforts to name a receiver as soon as possible,” said Kelli Roberts, spokeswoman for Gov. Tom Corbett.

State Department of Community and Economic Development spokesman Steve Kratz, who recently said the state would ask Commonwealth Court to force Mendez-Saldivia’s hiring if need be, said they were considering the next step.

View full sizeCHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-NewsMayor Linda Thompson, introduces the city's new COO Ricardo Mendez-Saldivia, during a press conference at City Hall in Harrisburg Thursday April 19, 2012. CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News

“We are aware of council’s inaction last night with the COO position,” Kratz said Tuesday. “We are currently evaluating all of our options.”

In tabling the vote, council is pushing back against the state, which intends to fast track the sale of Harrisburg’s assets, said Councilman Brad Koplinski.

“We intend to push back and hold off on any aspect of the [recovery] plan until we find out what DCED has been doing since [former city Receiver David Unkovic] left and why Mr. Unkovic left,” Koplinski said.

“And we would like an update on any investigation as to how we got here. We’ve been fighting this battle for two years,” he added.

Council has refused to vote on Mendez-Saldivia’s hire until Corbett announces who will be the city’s next receiver.

Council President Wanda Williams accused Corbett of dragging his feet so Harrisburg’s assets, including its parking system, can get leased and sold before another receiver takes control of the city.

The sale and lease of city assets are the linchpin of the fiscal recovery plan Unkovic, created for the city.

“[Tabling the vote] is about the Act 47 plan. It’s been over 30 days since Unkovic resigned. [Corbett] could have hired a receiver by now,” Williams said.

Unkovic resigned March 30, saying ethical and political problems with the state takeover of Harrisburg stopped him from developing a fair recovery plan for the city.

Commonwealth Court would have to approve any receiver appointment and has ordered DCED to tell the court when Corbett expects to name a new receiver by May 11. Mendez-Saldivia’s job is included in Unkovic’s plan, which aims to pay down the city’s more than $317 million of debt created by a failed incinerator retrofit and address the city’s annual budget deficit.

Mendez-Saldivia is expected to manage Harrisburg’s daily affairs and implement the recovery plan at an annual salary of $110,000.

Mayor Linda Thompson hired Mendez-Saldivia as acting COO until council confirms his hire, which means he can be paid for 180 days without council’s approval, said city Controller Dan Miller.

Mendez-Saldivia will continue in his post, but will not grant interviews for another week or two, said Robert Philbin, Thompson’s spokesman.

Philbin’s job is another point of contention with council.

Council said the city can’t afford a spokesman for the mayor, and even though Unkovic’s plan calls for Philbin’s position at $75,500 annually, council has yet to put it in its budget.

Philbin has worked for free since the beginning of the year, but said he expects to be compensated for the time he has put in without pay.

Council’s Budget and Finance Committee tonight will discuss putting money in the budget to pay for Philbin’s position, and two other posts included in Unkovic’s plan that are not in the budget — an assistant city solicitor and a manager for Channel 20, the city’s public access channel.

Council could vote on those three positions and the COO post at its May 11 meeting, but Williams said she is waiting to see whether the next receiver wants to include Philbin’s job in the city’s recovery plan before she calls a vote on his position. Tabling the vote to hire Mendez-Saldivia was not a personal move, Williams stressed, adding that she believes he is qualified for the job.

Williams said Fred Reddig, the DCED official temporarily overseeing the receiver’s office, told her Unkovic approved Mendez-Saldivia as COO.

After publicly interviewing Mendez-Saldivia on April 19, council indicated it would hire him.

“It’s not anything personal against anyone,” Williams said of delaying the vote. “I think for the most part, everyone is comfortable with hiring [Mendez-Saldivia].”

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